The crowd at Victoria Pool, Saratoga Spa State Park, Tuesday afternoon.
I finally made it to Victoria Pool yesterday on a rare day off during the week. I should have planned better. My husband and I arrived around 1 p.m. On our way in, an angry woman was on her way out, disappointed the place was packed and even though she said there was no where to sit, the staff didn’t refund the $8 per person admission charge. There were dozens of children there because the Peerless Pool is closed on Tuesday, but nonetheless there was a sign at the entrance advertising Peerless as “a pool more oriented toward children.” The truth is, the state closed Peerless one day a week for budget reasons and chose Tuesday because it was the day of the week with the lightest crowd. I haven’t seen numbers on that, but it defies common sense in August when the track is closed on Tuesdays.
Inside, the pool deck looked like the SPAC lawn at a popular rock concert. We squeezed our towels onto a step of the concrete stairs and went swimming. Two lifeguards, both stationed on the same side of the pool, made half-hearted attempts to keep children off the mid-pool rope and off each other’s shoulders, but nothing to stop kids from doing cannonballs into the water.
After a brief swim, we ate at the restaurant/bar. The food was mediocre and the waitress was harried but sweet. Two sandwiches, two beers and an ice tea: $33. We did not have to wait for a table and it was nice to sit and watch the people. I cannot begin to imagine what the place is like during the week, even with Peerless open. I wouldn’t go near it.
Let this be a cautionary tale to you. Victoria Pool is beautiful, but if you’re going to go, plan to get in line when it opens at 10 a.m. , or not at all during Travers Week when our tourist load is at its height. The pool is open 7 days a week, 10-6.
Or, get in your car and leave the crowds behind. A friend of mine with two small children swears by the Wayside Beach on Lake Luzerne, where admission is free.
Posted in Around town |
1 Comment »
1. Closing Peerless on Tuesdays is very stupid indeed. Many people who would go to the track bring their kids to Peerless instead!
2. Children under (pick an age, 12? 13?) should not be allowed into Victoria at all. In the old days (for me, 70s, 80s) children at Victoria were a rarity. Everyone seemed to intuit that the place was mostly concrete, and had an adult atmosphere.
3. All Saratogians know that if you want to grab a coveted “chaise,” you had to get there by 10! (do they still have the rattan chaises there?)
Comment by Mr. Sunshine — August 26th, 2009 @ 4:52 pm
3 comments:
2. Children under (pick an age, 12? 13?) should not be allowed into Victoria at all. In the old days (for me, 70s, 80s) children at Victoria were a rarity. Everyone seemed to intuit that the place was mostly concrete, and had an adult atmosphere.
What brainless twit came up with this gem? How can you idiots all be so thick that you can't understand that it is a PUBLIC swimming pool. Louise J. Goldstein, the hypocrite, has gone on and on about being a young child and learning to swim in the Victoria Pool....well under your way of thinking many children would miss out on the alleged beautiful memories that she has. The Victoria Pool is not any different than anything else, you pay the fee, which is a bargain considering everything that is provided, if the state really had any brains they'd charge for chair usage and umbrella usage like beaches do. So this crazy notion that the pool is restricted and that children shouldn't/aren't allowed is the most ignorant thing that I've heard in a very long time. So Mr. Sunshine and Louise J. Goldstein, the hypocrite, liar and trouble maker can take their attitude about children and their $8 and jump in Lake Luzerne, where, I hear the admission is free. Shame on you all, how do you sleep at night?
First she is right about the food. Mediocre is being kind the food sucks. The bartender is more concerned about his tips than cutting off drunks or checking ID’s. That brings me to the last comment. What planet are you from sir, or are you a resident for the home for the bewildered.
The Victoria pool is a DEEP POOL. Many children quickly find themselves over their heads and crying for help. I have no doubt you might find this amusing but I don’t. You are right this is a public pool and the public has every right to bring their children here. They also have every right to bring their 5 year old to a Phish concert at SPAC but I wouldn’t recommend that either.
I've never heard a child crying for help there after getting in over his or her head at the Victoria Pool.
And there's no rule against cannon balls. I see pleanty of adults doing them, but it's not okay for kids to(?)
Personally, after seeing the way that some of the adults act after spending a few hours and dollars at that bar, I'd rather have a pool full of children. The drunk adults are the ones causing problems, ignoring rules and just being all around rude. Marco-polo might be annoying, but it's not nearly as dangerous as the actions of some of the bar patrons...
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